dogtrot

[ dawg-trot, dog- ]

noun

1. a gentle trot, like that of a dog.
2. South Midland and Southern U.S. a covered passage or porch linking two parts of a house; breezeway.

verb (used without object)

, dog·trot·ted, dog·trot·ting.

1. to go or move at a gentle trot or a dogtrot.

dogtrot

/ ˈdɒɡˌtrɒt /

noun

1. a gently paced trot

Word History and Origins

Origin of dogtrot¹

First recorded in 1655–65; dog + trot ¹

Example Sentences

Pat was one of eight children reared in the family’s dogtrot house in the cotton patch.

From Washington Post

I had slowed to a dogtrot as I passed the pond, and when I reached the store I stopped, got partly behind it, and sat down where I could still watch the road.

From Literature

The dogtrot house, popular in America's south, was bisected by a covered, open-ended corridor to let breezes through.

From BBC

Christian homilies, dogtrot poetry, and treacly moralizing are delivered in a smooth, slightly formal country voice that goes down like lemonade with all the tang sugared out of it.

From The Guardian

During the summer, Winedale is haunted by the voices of students in the Shakespeare program, who read The Bard’s works in the dogtrots of the old houses.

From Washington Times

Related Words

• amble
• dash
• lope
• sprint
• trot